


A Novel Meeting

by detective_giggles



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pride Month Barisi Challenge 2020, books books and more books, love at first sight-sort of, pinterest prompt that got out of hand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:14:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24802159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/detective_giggles/pseuds/detective_giggles
Summary: Someone catches Rafael's eye at the library. Is there a better way to get to know someone than by the books they read? pre-Barisi fluff.
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 49
Collections: Barisi Pride 2020





	A Novel Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This came from an idea on Pinterest that might have gotten a little out of hand. I had to mess with the timeline a bit (or we could call this a library AU? Idk) Barisi Pride Prompt: Side A: Blue/Side B: Love at First Sight. Thanks for reading! As always, comments, kudos and constructive criticism are always appreciated.

Rafael sighed. It was the third morning of his suspension and he was _bored_. He hadn’t realized how few hobbies he actually had (if one could count researching case law and drinking scotch hobbies.) And any of the few people he would have chosen to socialize with were _at work_. He sipped his coffee and continued his stroll. Retail therapy was out. Although he loved the hunt for a new silky tie, coordinating pocket square (and the matching socks, of course!), no work meant no new income, which meant no frivolous shopping. He wasn’t worried about money per se, he had enough squirreled away to get him by but he was well aware of how expensive his little habit had become.

He finished the last sip of his coffee, tossing the empty cup in the nearest trash can. He stopped and looked around. He had been wandering around Manhattan for the better part of an hour and despite the coffee, his fingers were stiff and cold. Rafael looked up and shook his head, realizing he had subconsciously walked to the place that had brought him so much comfort as a child. The public library.

Of course, this library was a lot nicer than the one in the Bronx, bigger too, but that didn’t matter. The sentiment was the same and Rafael hurried up the steps. After a quick stop at the desk for a new library card (because, let’s face it, Rafael didn’t have the time to read for pleasure any more, and hadn’t stepped foot in a library in decades), he set out to find _something_ to occupy his time. He dodged tables and other patrons, and it was only when he reached the stacks that he realized he didn’t know _what_ he wanted to read.

As a child, Rafael had been a voracious reader, reading anything he could get his hands on. Mostly for the knowledge-he knew he best way out of the Bronx was college-and he was determined to learn everything he could about anything he could. But also, Rafael had read to _escape_ , even for just a short time. After a particularly bad fight, his _Abuelita_ always knew where she could find him, in the library under the stairs, on a bean bag he had pulled over from the children’s area.

He wandered a bit, looking for something to catch his eye. Fiction, travel, self-help; nothing seemed quite right, until he spotted the biographies in the back. Those had been a favorite of his when he was little. Rows and rows of books, stories about people he would never meet but who changed the world. He was hurrying to the back when it happened. Something caught his eye. Someone, actually. More specifically, someone with the bluest eyes he had ever seen.

The morning sun was shining directly onto his table, making the silver in his hair appear to sparkle. Rafael stared for a minute, until he realized he was bordering on creepy. He grabbed a book off the shelf and opened it randomly, pretending to read while surreptitiously watching to man at least ten years his junior. The man was tall, even sitting, Rafael could tell the other man would have at least six inches on him. He was strong, slim, Rafael noticed in the way his Henley fit, with the sleeves hiked up partway to his elbows. 

But what held Rafael’s attention were his eyes. Ice blue and…filled with tears, actually. He wondered what was going on in the man’s life that would bring him to cry in the middle of the library. Rafael had almost decided to go speak to the man when he _turned the page_ and it dawned on Rafael: he was crying _because_ of the book. And Rafael was immediately interested. Not only in the man reading, but _what_ the man was reading. He sat at a nearby table, as close as he dared, and made note of the title and author. He stuck around a bit, skimming his own book and playing a little Sudoku on his phone. Some time around noon, Mr. Blue Eyes closed the book, looked at his watch and yawned. Rafael watched as he gathered his things and left, reshelving the book along the way. He waited a few minutes, got up, found the discarded book and began to read. 

He read until mid-afternoon, when his stomach rumbled angrily and his head demanded more caffeine than the measly cup he had consumed this morning. He had been looking for a distraction, and he found one. Two, actually. He put the book away and headed home.

And so it began, for the next two weeks, every day, the mystery man was there, usually reading a new book. Sometimes he’d smile or chuckle out loud, and each day after he left, Rafael would find the book he had been reading. 

He wondered if the other man noticed him (and hopefully he didn’t find Rafael too stalker-ish if he did). He decided he was going to miss their make-shift book club when he went back to work, even if it was a bit one-sided. Although his companion was unaware he was recommending books, Rafael couldn’t help but think it was almost if the books were recommending the person. He found himself intrigued by each one; returning each day and pouring over novels the other man had finished. After they were finished, he felt like he had another piece to the puzzle of the blue-eyed mystery man.

His question was answered eighteen days into his suspension (not that he was counting). Rafael, still standing in the stacks, opened the most recent book and a piece of paper, torn from a yellow legal pad, fluttered to the ground.  
_Hi. I’m Dominick. But you can call me Sonny. I picked this out with you in mind. Enjoy!_  
Complete with a little sun drawn in the ‘o’.

Rafael chuckled, he had been noticed, and it didn’t appear that the man-Sonny-felt the need for a restraining order. He headed toward his usual table and stopped, disappointed when he noticed Sonny wasn’t there. Rafael thought for a moment and went to the front desk. He sweet talked the librarian out of a pen and a sticky-note, and went to pick out one of his favorite books: the biography of a Supreme Court Justice who might have been influential in Rafael getting to where he was in his career. He drew a sun on the sticky and slapped it on the cover before leaving it in Sonny’s spot. He took a seat at a nearby table, just out of sight from where he usually sat, so he could watch Sonny’s reaction. If he ever showed up, that is.

An hour later, Sonny walked in, looking exhausted. He noticed the book and smiled, looking around excitedly for Rafael. His smile disappeared when he didn’t immediately see the older man, but he sat down and opened the book, scanning the room every so often. 

Rafael looked at his watch. It was almost 11. He’d give it another half hour, then maybe invite Sonny to an early lunch or for coffee. He looked down, too anxious to actually read, and when he looked up again, Sonny was gone.

He sat up straighter and looked around, he would have seen if Sonny had slipped by on his way out. He stood and walked to the end of the nearest bookshelf looking for any sign of the taller man. He sighed, wondering if he missed his chance. Rafael turned and jumped a little when he saw Sonny, sitting in the chair he just vacated. 

“Hi,” Rafael grinned, “Dominick, I presume?”

He laughed, “The one and only! Actually, that’s not true. But really, call me Sonny. Everyone does.”

“Yeah, okay. Sonny. I’m Rafael-” 

“-Barba. I, uh, I know who you are.”

“You know me?” Rafael asked cautiously.

Sonny laughed, “Don’t freak out. It’s not creepy or anything. I’m in law school at Fordham. I’ve studied some of your cases,” his eyes were filled with admiration, “I knew who you were as soon as I saw you. I’m kind of a big fan,” he confessed.

Rafael laughed, “A fan, huh? I don’t hear that often in my line of work,” he admitted.

“But, you’re… _scintillating_! I still get chills when I watch some of your closing statements,” Sonny’s ears turned an adorable shade of pink, “Okay, that might have crossed a line?”

“No?”

“Oh! And that thing with the belt! Did you-”

“Would you want to go grab some lunch with me?” Rafael asked, partly to change the subject and partly to get them out of the library before Sonny got too loud recalling his exploits in the courtroom.

“Um, yeah, I’d like that,” Sonny beamed, his dimples on full display, “Can I… I mean, if it’s not too much trouble, can I ask you some questions? I’d really like to hear your opinion on some things. But, if you don’t want to talk about work, I totally get it. Maybe another time?”

“Another time? Are you planning a second date before we actually get started with our first?”

“Oh yeah,” Sonny stood and draped an arm across Rafael’s shoulders, “I kind of feel like all this time should at least count for one date or somethin’. You already know a lot about me.” He gestured to the latest book on the table, “And anyway, I think this is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship.” He waggled his eyebrows. Rafael laughed and allowed himself to be led out of the library.


End file.
